Hip thrust alternatives provide a more well-rounded approach to glute training. Alternative hip thrust exercises improve overall leg and hip strength, stability, and balance. Alternative exercises also offer more variety to your workout, preventing boredom and plateaus. Hip thrust alternatives add accessibility and challenge to your workout routine whether you’re a beginner or an experienced lifter.
The hip thrust is a much-loved exercise for those in seek of a better booty. It targets the glutes and hamstrings, and reinforces correct hip extension mechanics, making it a popular choice of exercise. The hip thrust provides functional and aesthetic benefits but not without downsides such as strain or a lack of versatility. Incorporating alternative hip thrusts will not only provide similar benefits as traditional hip thrusts but also help to reduce the risk of injury, improve posture and enhance athletic performance.
Today, we’re going to cover seven alternative exercises to the hip thrust, as well as go over an example workout involving the exercises.
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7 best hip thrust alternative workouts
We’ve gathered seven workouts involving hip thrust alternatives. Each alternative requires your body to work in a similar manner, increasing glute and hamstring strength as well as hypertrophy. With the exclusion of one of the exercises, the hip thrust alternatives train your lower body without the need for spinal loading.
Placing your body in the appropriate and safe position is important to generate the best results. Maintaining a neutral spine and keeping your weight in your heels are key for the following hip thrust exercises.
1. Cable Pull Through
Equipment needed: Cable machine, rope attachment
Instructions:
- Attach the double-sided rope handle to the cable machine on the lowest setting.
- Holding one side of the rope handle in each hand, stand over the cable with your back towards the tower. Your feet should be just over hip width apart and your arms fully extended.
- With a small bend in your knees and a neutral spine, hinge forward at the hips, pushing them backward and lowering your chest towards the ground. You should feel the tension in your glutes and stretch through your hamstrings.
- Allow your hands/the cable to pull back through your legs.
- Then driving through your glutes and hamstrings, pull back upwards into a standing upright position.
- Lock your hips and squeeze your glutes hard before going into your next repetition.
Suggested reps: 12 to 15
Check out these cable machine exercises for glutes
2. Kettlebell Swings
Equipment needed: Kettlebell
Instructions:
- Start standing with your feet shoulder width apart and a kettlebell on the ground in front of you.
- With a neutral spine and a soft bend in your knees, lean forward to grab the kettlebell with both of your hands.
- Pull the kettlebell back between your legs and then drive your hips forward to thrust the kettlebell upwards – your arms should remain straight.
- Allow the kettlebell to swing back downwards and between your legs, your body following its motion – hips going backwards and chest going towards the ground to facilitate the swing.
- Drive your hips forward again into your next swing/rep
Suggested reps: 15 to 20
Pro tip: Don’t worry about the height of the kettlebell at the end of the swing. Focus on your glute and hamstring drive and hip extension power.
3. Stiff Leg Deadlifts
Equipment needed: Barbell or dumbbells
Instructions:
- Stand with your feet hip width apart holding an appropriately loaded barbell or dumbbells on extended arms in front of you. You should have a neutral, overhand grip.
- With a small bend in your knees, hinge forward at the hips whilst pushing them backwards and lowering the barbell or dumbbells down the front of your legs. You need to keep your back in a neutral position with your shoulders pulled back.
- When you get to the bottom position (when you can feel a good stretch through your hamstrings), drive through the glutes and hamstrings to pull the barbell or dumbbells back up and extend through the hips into standing position.
Suggested reps: 10 to 12
4. Smith Rack Donkey Kicks
Equipment needed: Smith rack
Instructions:
- Set the bar of the smith rack machine at about knee height when standing.
- Go on your hands and knees in front of the smith rack, facing away from it.
- Be square on your hands and knees for starters, then place the middle of the bottom of one of your feet underneath the smith rack bar.
- From here, push the bar upwards, contracting your glute and hamstring.
- Be sure not to over do it and hyperextend through your lower back, you only need to push as high as you need to feel your glute squeeze into contraction!
- Lower back down to starting position, by bending the knee and hinging at the hip. Do this without letting the bar touch the safety – keep the tension on!
- Repeat all repetitions on one side before changing sides.
Suggested reps: 12 to 15
Pro tip: Try some pulse ¼ reps at the end for a grand finale!
5. Kneeling Smith Rack Hip Extensions
Equipment needed: Smith rack
Instructions:
- Start by kneeling on a mat or some padding in the smith rack machine, with the bar across your shoulders as in a back-squat position.
- Your hips should be fully extended, and you should be upright to begin with.
- From here, lower your hips down to your heels by pushing your hips backwards and keeping your spine neutral. This is the eccentric phase of the exercise.
- Then drive back upwards through your glutes into full hip extension, squeezing at the top of the movement. Think of it as a vertical hip thrust as opposed to its alternative, which sees you horizontal.
Suggested reps: 10 to 12
6. Good Mornings
Equipment needed: Barbell
Instructions:
- Rack an appropriately loaded barbell onto your upper traps.
- Keeping a slight bend in your knees and a straight back, push your hips backwards creating tension through the hamstrings.
- Your chest should lower towards the ground as your hips go further behind you.
- Make sure you keep your core fully engaged to protect your spine as you progress through the movement. Having your back loaded in this way can create hyperextension through your lumbar spine if your core is not working hard to counteract it.
- Activate your glutes and stand back up to starting position with powerful hip drive before going into your next repetition.
Suggested reps: 8 to 10
Pro tip: Drive your knees outwards slightly before pulling back up into standing position at the bottom of the good morning.
7. Deadlifts
Equipment needed: Barbell
Instructions:
- Stand behind a barbell with your feet hip width apart and the barbell touching around the middle of your shins.
- Hold the barbell with an overhand grip (or split grip), shoulder width apart.
- Sit your hips backwards so that your arms are still fully extended, and the middle of your chest is in line with the bar. Note, your thighs should not hit parallel, this would mean you have sat back too far into your deadlift starting position.
- Engage your lats and stand up with the barbell.
- The top of the movement should see you with your shoulder blades squeezed together, your hips locked and glutes on. Don’t lean back, be straight and locked.
- Lower the bar back down the front of your legs, by pushing your hips back and bending at the knees until you reach starting position.
- Keep your repetitions slow and controlled – technique is everything!
Suggested reps: 8 to 10
Learn more about the benefits of deadlifts
Example workout for hip thrust alternatives
We’ve put together a few of our favorite hip thrust alternatives into an example workout. Through the instructions and video links above, you should have a good idea of how to perform each exercise. The example workout targets your glutes and hamstrings, as well as touches on your back and core. Expect to have an elevated heart rate through most of the workout, as we’re dealing with some large muscle groups.
The example workout consists of 1 circuit which is to be done a total of 3 times. Each exercise should be done with minimal rest in between. Upon reaching the end of the circuit, you can rest for 2 minutes before commencing your next round. Cool down with a 3-minute slow-paced cross trainer at 3/10 resistance.
Begin with a 3-minute warm-up consisting of a moderate-paced incline walk (around 5% to 8% incline). After which, follow the steps below and repeat the circuit 3 times.
- Kneeling Smith Rack Hip Extensions x 12
- Cable Pull Throughs x 12
- Smith Rack Donkey Kicks x 12 each side
- Stiff Leg Deadlifts x 12
- Kettlebell Swings x 20
Conclusion: Alternative hip thrust
Alternative hip thrust exercises are just as effective as traditional hip thrusts. Traditional hip thrust exercises target the muscles of the hips and glutes, specifically the gluteus maximus. Standard high exercise increase muscle activation and build strength in the glutes. Alternative hip thrust workouts do similarly with additional versatility. The exercises listed above not only work the glutes but other parts of the body for a full-body workout. Additionally, alternative hip thrust exercises are modifiable through a variety of equipment, such as dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells—making them highly adaptable to different fitness levels and goals.
